Lives lost in U.S. school shootings and New Jersey school bus tragedy prompt efforts to increase safeguards for students

For students in New Jersey and across the nation 2018 was a fearful year. Several bus accidents — one fatal — occurred in the state. And there were fatal attacks on schools, including the shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida which took the lives of 17 students, one of whom was from New Jersey. A Center for Homeland Defense and Security database with almost 50 years of data shows that 2018 has had the highest number of school shootings ever recorded in a year.

Star Ledger--N.J. may require schools to teach about the accomplishments of LGBTQ and disabled people

Gov. Phil Murphy will now decide whether middle school and high school students in New Jersey should be taught about the historical contributions of people with disabilities and in the LGBTQ community, after the state Assembly approved a bill Monday that would mandate a change to the curriculum.

If the governor signs the bill, school boards would have to make changes to the curriculum in time for the 2020-21 school year, according to the bill.

Trump administration officials say it’s time to reverse Obama-era guidelines meant to curb suspensions and expulsions, especially for students of color.

The federal school safety commission recommended the move in a report released Tuesday, saying that efforts to address racial disparities in discipline may have made America’s schools less safe. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is expected to rescind the guidance soon, notching a victory for the conservative campaign to link school discipline reforms with unsafe schools — a connection that remains questionable.

“One of the things that the commission was concerned with was the recurring

A panel created by President Donald Trump to help prevent future school shootings called Tuesday for getting rid of Obama administration guidance aimed at making sure students of color and students with disabilities aren’t disciplined more harshly than their peers.

Education Week--Juuling Skyrocketed This Year. What Does It Mean for Schools?

Teenagers are taking up vaping nicotine and marijuana at an unprecedented clip, even as Generation Z continues to move away from drugs and tobacco use more generally.

More than 1 in 3 high school seniors reported having tried an electronic nicotine vaporizer such as a Juul, and more than 1 in 5 has vaped nicotine in the last month, according to the 2018 Monitoring the Future survey.